Shiv Sena demands ban on the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions

Jammu: With a message to the youth to stay away from  Tobacco products, Shiv Sena (UBT) Jammu and Kashmir unit has demanded from the government to ban the sale of  tobacco products near educational institutions with immediate effect and a complete ban on its sale across the J&K and  country in a phased manner, On “No Tobacco Day”,

In a program organized today at the party’s state central office, state chief Manish Sahni said that the prevalence of smoking is increasing among teenagers under the guise of swag and fashion. In the last decade, the number of underage boys and girls smoking cigarettes and beedis has increased in India.

According to a report titled ‘Tobacco Control in India 2022’, there has been a decrease in the number of tobacco consumers across the country, but the addiction of smoking cigarettes and beedis is increasing rapidly among underage boys and girls.  Sahni said that the use of tobacco, cigarettes, bidis etc. causes mouth, heart and lung cancer. In India, about 8 lakh people are dying from this cancer every year and this number is increasing continuously. Sahni said that the current and previous governments did not take any strict action to ban the sale of tobacco products due to the lure of revenue collected from their sale.

They have been washing their hands off by merely writing warnings on tobacco products. He said that the time has come to take strict steps to save the young generation from this addiction. Sahni said that in a phased manner, like Bhutan, the sale of tobacco products should be completely banned in India as well. Sahni has demanded from the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to ban the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions with immediate effect. Along with this, he has also appealed to the parents to keep a close watch on their children and make them aware of the damage caused to health by the consumption of tobacco products.